Treating the Trot

Thought I'd post a little some-some about this little video...watch it first (volume on, please), then...read on!

In this video, Leonidas and I are having fun checking our line of communication, and working on helping him think about self-carriage, where his body parts are, how to use them and how to dance and flow with the rhythm.

There is no hurry to be perfect or incredibly awesome...just present. If we work like this, there is no end to what we can continue to build.

This is, to me, sweet harmony. And, after you watch it, I will share another cool insight from it.

What I really liked, when it came time to get a treat for him after his first circling, was how his expression remained soft and his energy calm. There was no tension added with the anticipation of a treat.

Am I right to be thrilled about that? I think so.

I want him to be happy knowing that he will get a treat. I want him to enjoy eating it. But I don't want it to be yet another thing to stress him out.

This horse has a lot of try in him by nature and natural wiring. So I strive to make treats, verbal praise (and soak time, and peaceful time) the things that encourage and support his effort to be awesome.

Treats and any kind of rewards are not something I want him to think have to be EARNED always...but they should hopefully be received as warm waves of edible and audible love.